1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to a device for identifying the location of the dipstick in a motor vehicle.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Automobile and truck manufacturers recommend that the dipsticks in motor vehicles be checked at regular intervals, as well as at the beginning of extended trips to determine the amount and condition of the oil found in the motor vehicle oil pans. However because over the years a large variety of designs and layouts for motor vehicle engines have been generated, there is no standard location for the dipsticks. As a result, presently it is difficult to locate the dipstick under the hood of a car, especially under poor lighting conditions, at night, or in instances when a person is not familiar with a car. Although some cars are equipped with a hood light which is turned on when the hood is picked up, these lights are intended to illuminate the whole engine, and since they are generally relatively small they do not provide enough light to assist in the location of the dipstick.
The U.S. Pat. No. 2,743,352 to Gilbert describes an early attempt to solve, at least partially, the above-described problem. Gilbert describes an ordinary incandescent lamp, mounted on but offset from the dipstick holding tube. A switch energizes the lamp when the dipstick is removed. Although this arrangement may facilitate the return of the dipstick to its holding tube, it does not assist one to locate and remove the dipstick under poor light conditions. A similar arrangement, suffering the same disadvantages, is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,167 to DeLano.
Rose (U.S. Pat. No. 3,098,254) also recognized the above-described problems of the prior art and proposed a device which also partially solved the problems. In order to facilitate initial location of the dipstick and its holder tube, Rose telescopes over the end of the holder tube a wiping device fabricated from a phosphorescent material. The device thereby functions as a marker to locate the holding tube. Unfortunately, use of the Rose device requires modification of the assembly or the dipstick to compensate for the added length of the dipstick tube holder. Also, as the wiper device requires periodic replacement, there occurs a problem of disposal for the potentially hazardous phosphorescent materials.
In addition, the prior art devices are generally difficult to install in the relatively small spaces afforded the dipstick in the modern automotive engine. The location of the dipstick on the modern automobile is usually inaccessible for easy mounting of locator devices. The device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,098,254 is of course easy to install even in relatively inaccessible locations, but the illumination afforded is limited to a phosphorescent "glow".
Another problem related to the installation of a dipstick illuminator is the wide variety and diversity of dipstick assemblies found in the variety of modern automobiles. The diameter of the dipstick support tube is one factor alone, in that they may range in size from about 1/4" to 3/4". Flared open ends, non-flared ends, angled ends, cap receivers and like constructions all add to the individuality o the dipstick assemblies found on modern engines. These variances all contribute to difficulty in adding an illuminator device.
The present invention is also of a universal kit for installing a dipstick illuminator on a wide variety of modern automobiles, with ease and without a need for special tools.